Hopes are fading for the proposed indirect cross-Straits charter flights to take off as a senior government official warned Thursday Taipei's refusal to allow non-governmental talks on detailed arrangements may finally strangle the plan.

"Whether the charter flight programme can actually be put into place or not hinges on what actions the Taiwan side will take and what decisions it will make in the coming days,'' the official with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) told China Daily.

"We still do not know what will happen eventually, but one thing for sure is that no charter flights will be allowed unless detailed arrangements are made, which is the common practice anywhere in the world.''

He said what needs to be discussed during the talks, including flight routes, the number of flights and landing services, is critical to the safe and sound operation of the charter flights.

The CAAC official, who declined to be identified, revealed that the non-governmental China Civil Aviation Association sent a formal invitation to its Taiwan counterpart for talks to solve technical issues involved in the plan a week ago, but has so far met with no response.

"The reason is that Taiwanese airlines and industrial organizations are pressurized by the Taiwan authorities not to enter talks with their mainland counterparts, despite their real intention to do so,'' the official said.

He said the lack of response demonstrates that Taipei is actually trying every means to hinder a smooth implementation of the plan, although it gave final approval on December 4 for Taiwanese airlines to operate indirect charter flights between Shanghai and Taiwan via Hong Kong or Macao during the forthcoming Spring Festival holiday.

The CAAC official rejected an accusation by Shi Hwei-yow, secretary-general of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), that the mainland has kept changing its attitude on whether to hold talks or not, in a bid to manipulate the issue.

Shi reportedly said on Monday that Beijing's "apparent change of heart has led to more uncertainties about the flights and made Taiwanese business people hesitant to register their interest in them.''

The CAAC official commenting on Shi's reported remarks said: "These remarks (by Shi) are completely irresponsible as we have been maintaining, from the very beginning, that any technical problems that may arise in the charter flight proposal must be solved through company-to-company or industry-to-industry consultation.''

Although the mainland has held out for direct charter flights with no stopovers and demanded mainland airlines also participate in the charters, it has finally given the nod to Taipei's proposal for the indirect charter flights between January 26 and February 10.

But the CAAC earlier said technical issues need to be resolved through non-governmental negotiations before it could take applications from Taiwanese airlines for such flights.

The CAAC official said that Taipei is apparently attempting to politicize across-Straits economic issues by making groundless accusations in order to pass the buck to the mainland.

"By hindering talks between private bodies from the two sides, the Taiwan authorities are indeed aiming at letting the government or SEF step in (the matter),'' the official stressed.

The SEF is a quasi-official body authorized by Taiwan to handle civil exchanges with the mainland in the absence of official contacts.

Beijing has ruled out the possibility of holding any official or semi-official contacts across the Taiwan Straits due to Taipei's refusal to accept the immutable one-China principle held by Beijing that both Taiwan and the mainland are part of China.

Instead, it has proposed to solve all practical issues, such as the three links of trade, transport and postal services as well as the proposed charter flights through nonofficial consultations.

But Taipei has insisted that government play a leading role in any cross-Straits talks.

In fact, it took a pan-politicized stance last month by turning a potentially significant practical proposal into a largely symbolic move by refusing a call from the business community and 140 local "lawmakers'' to permit direct cross-Straits charter flights, citing security concerns.

For their part the Taiwanese airlines have effectively poured cold water on the indirect charter flights proposal as the Taiwan authorities' insistence on a detour via Hong Kong or Macao makes the flights less convenient and less attractive.

In stark contrast with earlier hopes that 120 indirect charter flights could be provided during the holiday, six Taiwanese airlines have agreed to fly only six flights in principal, according to Su Hsien-lung, spokesman of the Taipei Airlines Association.

Negotiations will also be necessary to work out technical issues in respect of the charter flight arrangements, he said Thursday.

(China Daily December 13, 2002)